A billiard table is so large and unwieldy that it represents a significant and relatively permanent commitment of floor space. This is one reason that such tables have not found wide acceptance in the home market. Accordingly, a great deal of effort has been directed toward adapting such a table so that it may be used to play more than one game and thereby reach a larger audience.
Prior developments in this field may be generally illustrated by reference to the following patents:
______________________________________ Patent No. Patentee Issue Date ______________________________________ 2,381,539 France Chevallier 09/22/78 3,988,021 Grover 10/26/76 3,955,291 Michaud 05/11/76 3,954,267 Freeman et al. 05/04/76 3,429,544 Williams III 02/25/69 3,887,187 Crossman et al. 06/03/75 4,017,078 Goldfarb 04/12/77 4,063,728 Zemanek 12/20/77 853,316 Nix 05/14/07 895,110 Schneider 08/04/08 923,249 Davenport 06/01/09 1,157,940 Hjort 10/26/15 1,220,846 Hobbs 03/27/17 2,309,214 Rey 01/26/43 980,142 Byner 12/27/10 982,421 Freed 01/24/11 1,070,592 Fay 08/19/13 ______________________________________
Pat. Nos. 2,381,539 (France) and 4,063,728 teach converting a pool (pocket billiard) table to a billiard (carom billiard) table. Pat. No. 1,070,592 shows a reversible frame, but does not show the reversible cushion aspect of the present invention.
Pat. No. 3,988,021 teaches a wheeled support. Pat. No. 2,309,214 shows a cam and plunger mechanism for moving hinged castors against the floor for transporting various large articles and machines, including tables.
Pat. Nos. 3,954,267, 3,887,187 and 4,107,078 teach game board surfaces designed to play air hockey, but they are not taught in combination with a billiard table.
The rest of the patents are representative of what is in the art.